


The Final Act

by Koyru (Komoru)



Category: Persona 4, Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Gen, Mystery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-25
Updated: 2017-07-31
Packaged: 2018-12-06 15:29:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,140
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11603487
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Komoru/pseuds/Koyru
Summary: When Akira and his friends reunite for the summer, they decide to take a trip to the small but infamous town of Inaba. But when the mysterious Midnight Channel suddenly comes back, the former Phantom Thieves get caught in a web of lies and dig up some of the town's dark past. Their vacation is short lived, and the Phantom Thieves take stage one more time for their final act.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Despite logging about 120 hours and counting on Persona 5, I just can't get enough of it. Plus, I wanted to try my hand at something new and challenge myself to create a story based around the Persona series 4 and 5. I'm definitely no professional when it comes to tying together plots, or the most creative, but I'm trying something new. And hopefully you will enjoy as well. 
> 
> I'm basing this story off Persona 4 and 5. I haven't played any of the spin-offs, such as Golden or Arena, so characters or story arcs from that won't be touched upon in this. Apologies for any continuation errors, it's been quite a while since I've seen P4. 
> 
> Without further ado, please enjoy.

_“Trickster… it is almost time.”_

That voice. It sounded so familiar. But where had he heard it before?

_“Trickster… it is almost time for you to return to us. We eagerly await that moment.”_

Akira Kurusu’s eyes snapped open. It took him a moment to register what was happening and where he was. He was riding a train. He had decided to take a nap, and ended up leaning right against the window. And… a small hand… - paw, was nudging his shoulder.

He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, then glanced down at the being who disturbed his sleep. A familiar black and white cat had popped his head out of the school bag, poking at Akira’s shoulder and hissed at him.

“Wake up! It’s almost time to get off the train, our stop is coming up.” Morgana said.

“Right… thanks for the reminder, but can you not jab me in the shoulder next time?” Akira asked. He rubbed his shoulder as if to emphasize his point.

Morgana rolled his eyes and went back inside the bag. It was then that the train began making its stop, and the people began to pour out the doors.

Akira then grabbed the bag and slung it over his shoulder. He also took the luggage he brought with him and rolled out with the rest of the crowd.

Once outside in Station Square, Akira stood still and took in a deep breath. It was just as he remembered it. Nothing seemed to have change within the past couple of months.

Morgana poked his head out of the bag, meowing happily at seeing the familiar sight.

“This really brings back memories, doesn’t it, Akira?” Morgana asked.

The boy nodded in response. Even though it had only been a couple of months, Akira felt like it had been forever since he had been here. Since he had been home.

He smiled lightly at the thought. Yes, it was about time that he went home.

 

* * *

 

 

The backstreets of Yongen-Jaya looked the same. Akira had no trouble making his way to Cafe Leblanc’s door. He knew the backstreets like the back of his hand at this point. However, when he made it to the door, Akira had a sense of dread.

Morgana popped his head out of the bag once more, climbing slightly on Akira’s shoulder and peering over.

Both of them stared blankly at the sign on the door that read “CLOSED”.

The two of them exchanged glances with each other and Akira pulled out his phone.

“Hey, you’re sure you read the text right? They said arrive by 2 P.M., didn’t they?” Morgana asked, looking from Akira’s phone screen up to the shut door.

He nodded in response. “Yeah. Ryuji said ‘come to the cafe at 2, we’ll all meet up and discuss our plans from there.’”

“Can you really trust Ryuji’s word, though? He might have gotten the information wrong, you know him.”

Akira didn’t really have anything to say against that. It was true that Ryuji sometimes misunderstood information. But for him to give Akira the wrong time of the meet up? That didn’t seem like him at all.

He shoved his phone back in his jean pocket and stared at the door. Something just felt… off. He knew that Sojiro had wonky hours for the cafe, but now was prime business time. ( By prime time, he means at least three customers coming in at once. )

Out of pure curiosity, Akira found himself reaching towards the door handle to test it out.

To his surprise, and Morgana’s, the door opened with no problem at all. It took a full five seconds for the two to process what had happened.

Akira’s first thought was that Sojiro started to get lazy with him gone, leaving the sign responsibility to Futaba instead. She had gotten busy with her laptop or some anime and forgot to turn it back to open. However, that didn’t explain why the lights were out and no one was around.

His second thought was a bit more dark. Had someone robbed the place? It was a bit unsettling.

Morgana and Akira exchanged looks one more time. They nodded to each other and Akira pulled the door open.

 

* * *

 

 

There was a split second of pure silence once the door opened, and it made the hair on the back of Akira’s neck stand on end.

Cautiously, he pulled himself through the door and stepped into the darkness. And that was when the silence was broken.

“WELCOME BACK!”

The lights flicked on and Akira took a startled step back. Party poppers went off, and some confetti had fallen to the floor from who knows where. Morgana yowled in surprise and his nails dug into Akira’s shoulder, making the boy flinch before he jumped off and hid under one of the bar stools.

Before Akira could register what was happening, he was tackled by a smaller person. Small arms wrapped around his waist and she nuzzled her head into his side.

“Welcome back, Akira.”

He blinked, the lights having blinded his vision for a moment. Once the spots cleared from his eyes, Akira could see clearly the people before him.

Futaba was glued to his waist, wrapping him tightly in a bear hug and smiling like mad.

Ryuji was in front, pushing himself past Ann and Haru, who were front and center. He slung his arm over Akira’s shoulder and let it hang there, grinning madly at his best friend.

Makoto and Yusuke were behind the group, giving Akira the warmest of smiles.

Sojiro was standing behind them all, arms crossed and a content smile on his face that reached his eyes.

“Welcome home, punk.” Sojiro said. There was a hint of fondness in his voice.

Everyone stared at him with warm, welcoming stares. Akira hadn’t noticed it, but he was just staring blankly back at them. It took him a full five seconds to process what had happened.

His best friends in the whole damn world had just thrown a surprise "welcome home" party for him. He couldn't even remember the last time he went to a party, let alone have one thrown for him. It came as a shock to him, and Akira couldn't find the right words to say. He was left speechless by the touching gesture. Instead, he smiled brightly and dipped his head down a bit to hide the hint of embarrassment on his face.

Akira's fingers found a lock of hair to play with and his free arm wrapped around Futaba, giving her a hug back. Then, looking up at his friends, Akira finally spoke.

“I’m home, guys.”

 

* * *

 

 

The former Phantom Thieves had spent a good hour and a half just catching up with each other.

Sojiro was behind the counter, absentmindedly cleaning some dishes as he listened in on the kids’ conversation.

Akira was surrounded by his friends in one of the cafe’s booths. Extra chairs had been pulled from the other tables to accommodate for the large group. Even Morgana had his own seat among the friends.

Ryuji had ended up snagging a part time job to help out his mom. And while he didn’t pursue running anymore, he had thought about becoming a PE teacher.

Ann had really picked up on her modeling career. Even going as far as traveling outside of Japan for a couple of weeks. She also went to go visit Shiho a couple of time during the summer. It sounded like Shiho was doing well too.

It was no surprise that Yusuke was pursuing his art career. As strange and off the wall as Yusuke was, he was an incredibly talented artist. A couple of his recent works were being displayed in the local art museums; it was a feat that he was quite proud of.

Haru had been busy with her company. She had plenty of help from Takakura-San, and the other employee’s that she had learned to trust.

And of course, Makoto had dedicated herself to her studies. She had been accepted into one of the top colleges in Tokyo, who had a world renowned Criminal Justice program.

“So, how is school going for you, Futaba?” Akira asked.

She snickered and pushed her glasses up on the bridge. “It’s been smooth sailing so far. I think I’m over leveled for high school after all that grinding we did last summer. It’s been crazy easy.”

Behind the counter, Sojiro beamed like a proud father. He smiled and hummed contently to himself, drying off the last dish and setting it aside. Of course he would be proud. His little girl had grown up a lot since last year.

Akira couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at Futaba’s references. It was amazing what all of his friends had accomplished in the short time he was away. Of course, he and Morgana weren't slacking off back home either. With more free time on his hands, Akira dedicated himself a little more to his studies. Just like at Shujin, Akira had placed top of his class in the school's exams. It definitely caught some of his classmate's eyes, and some of them even asked for tutoring help. Most of the time Akira turned them down politely. He wasn't much of the tutoring type. That was Makoto's thing, not his.

“Oh yeah! By the way, Akira, we all had a question for you.” Ann said, leaning forward with a bright smile.

He quirked a brow in Ann’s direction and blinked. “Oh?”

“Ohh, that’s right! We were gonna ask your opinion on something.” Ryuji said. The blond then turned around from his seat, grabbing a pamphlet from the counter that was hidden under the stack of books, and set it down on the table. He flattened it out, spreading it in front of Akira and pushing it towards him.

It was a tourist attraction pamphlet for a small town called Inaba. It didn’t seem like much from first glance really. Akira blinked in confusion and picked up the pamphlet, reading about the destination a bit more.

“A fellow model of mine recommended this place to take a vacation at. She said that even though it looks pretty boring at first glance, there’s plenty of things to do. It’s where Junes got their start, and where the infamous Imagi Inn is! The hot springs there are amazing.” Ann said, rambling on about the town.

“A hot springs? Is the inn animal friendly? I wanna go!” Morgana said, meowing excitedly. Ryuji scoffed. "Dude, even if the inn is animal friendly, how are we going to sneak a cat into the hot springs?" Morgana, looking a bit dejected, lowered his head and whined slightly. Akira was sure he heard him mutter something about "stupid no animal rules".

“We were wondering if you would like to take a vacation with us there, Akira.” Makoto asked.

He pondered about the idea. A vacation sounded lovely. Even though Akira was perfectly fine with just staying in Tokyo for the summer, a getaway to a different town sounded nice. He nodded in approval. “I wouldn’t mind going. It sounds relaxing.”

“Great! Then it’s settled. Keep your bags packed, we'll leave tomorrow on the earliest train!” Ryuji exclaimed.

“Wait, what? We just got here though! I wanted to go to the buffet for some sushi.” Morgana whined, his tail flickering in annoyance. The blond rolled his eyes. “There’s gonna be sushi there, you idiot. Besides, Haru already got all of our tickets. We’re heading out tomorrow!”

Morgana and Ryuji fell back into their normal habits, bickering back and forth about nonsense. Ann and Makoto sighed heavily, while Yusuke seemed to be framing the entire scene with his hands. Haru simply giggled in amusement, and Futaba seemed busy fiddling around with something on her laptop.

Akira simply sat back in the booth, reaching to take a sip of his coffee, amused by the situation before him. A small, fond smile was forming on his face and he caught a lock of hair in his hand again, twirling it aimlessly. It was then that it really hit him. He was going to spend the entire summer with his friends. No fighting, no corrupted adults getting in their way. It was going to be a calming and peaceful vacation.

 

* * *

That night, Akira and Morgana slept soundly on the cot in the attic. Both blissfully unaware of a blue butterfly that passed through the room.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So you know how I said no romance in the story? I lied. I began writing and then the chance for the Ann/Akira moment presented itself to me and I had to. It won't play an important part in the story, but I may throw in some moments here. If they play a part in the overall story, of course. 
> 
> Also, I promise things will start picking up in the next chapter or two. It's a bit slow right now, but I think it's only fair that the characters should have a relaxing trip for a bit. Especially with what's to come. Enjoy!

“Whoa! This is a breathtaking view!”

“Shut up or someone’s going to hear you meowing, moron!” Ryuji whispered harshly, shoving Morgana’s head back into the bag. The cat gave a strained hiss, but stayed quiet.

“It’s not my fault! I’ve always been on underground trains in the city. The change of view is interesting,” Morgana said, his response muffled by the zipped up bag.

Yusuke appeared to be deep in thought. He was seated by the window, watching the trees pass outside. “I have to agree with Morgana. The scenery captures the beauty of nature perfectly. It takes my breath away. Do you think that the conductor would stop for a minute? I would like to grab my canvas and paint.”

Futaba popped her head up from the other row of booths, leaning on the back of Yusuke’s seat. “Inari, do you ever think of anything besides painting?”

“Well, Boss’ curry comes to mind every now and then.”

Haru giggled at the reply. “Well, you can always take a picture of it to paint later,” she suggested.

Akira smiled as he listened to his friends banter back and forth. Their usual antics were something that he had missed a lot. He wouldn’t admit that to anyone but himself, though.

As he watched the trees roll past, Akira found himself yawning and his eyelids becoming heavier by the moment. By the time he and Morgana had gotten to sleep the night before, it was already nearing midnight. Akira had been brought up to speed on all of the former Thieves’ lives, at least. He even stayed up a bit later to catch up with his other friends, such as Mishima and Hifumi. It was well worth it in his opinion.

A hand gently touched his shoulder, and Akira slowly turned to his side. Ann looked at him with a smile and tried to stifle a giggle. “You look tired. What time did you get to bed last night?”

“Around midnight. I think. I was up texting Mishima a bit and then fell asleep,” Akira said. Another yawn escaped his mouth, earning a giggle from Ann.

"You know, we still have about two hours left on the train ride. You could probably take a nap. I’ll wake you up once we get there,” Ann offered.

Akira considered. He looked around at the rest of his friends; from what he could tell, they all seemed preoccupied with something.

Ryuji and Makoto were talking to each other, both leaned over the side of their booths. She seemed to scold him for something. Probably something regarding his school studies if Akira had to guess. The defeated look on Ryuji’s face confirmed his theory.

Futaba, Yusuke and Haru were all talking about something about Haru’s garden. She seemed to be explaining what crops she had been growing to Yusuke. He seemed quite interested. Whether it was because he was interested in the crops, or because he wanted new muse for a painting, was beyond Akira. Futaba was furiously texting on her phone while listening in.

If he was going to take a nap, now would be the perfect time.

Ann smiled and leaned over the armrest between them, setting her head on Akira’s shoulder. Her arm looped under his, and Ann’s hand gently took a hold of his own. She began intertwining their fingers together. He welcomed her warmth and quietly kissed the top of her head.

It wasn’t often that they displayed any sort of affection in front of the others. Little moments like these were rare, and Akira always treasured them. Even though the others knew about their relationship, it was still a bit weird and rather embarrassing to do anything in front of them. However, this time, it seemed their friends were distracted talking among themselves. Yusuke and Ryuji didn’t even seem to notice, and they were right in front of them.

His fingers ran circles above her hand absentmindedly. Akira yawned once more and leaned back into the booth. His eyelids grew heavy and he stopped resisting them, allowing them to close. Soon after that, Akira felt himself drift off to sleep. The sounds of his friends laughing and bickering faded away, and he slipped into a dream.

 

* * *

 

When Akira opened his eyes. He was no longer sitting on the train, but rather he was sitting at the back of a… limo?

He blinked a couple of times, rubbing his eyes and looked around again. There was no mistaking it, he was inside a limo. A lavish, blue limo.

A shelf was embedded into the side of the car's interior, shelving a row of wine bottles and glasses. Small, blue curtains were hung up on the windows. Outside, fog rolled by endlessly. It felt as though there was no clear destination where the limo was going. 

“Welcome to the Velvet Room. I am Margaret.” The woman said. She sat to the side, posture straight and hands folded on her lap. Underneath her hands was a large, blue book. Akira couldn’t place his finger on it, but the book seemed familiar - unlike the woman who was holding it.

“The Velvet Room? I thought… it collapsed.” Akira said. He furrowed his brow in confusion.

Margaret held a small smile of her face. “That was merely one version of the Velvet Room that collapsed. Your contract had been fulfilled, and the Metaverse had fallen as well. There was no need to keep the Velvet Room running. However, it’s time you renew your contract with us, Trickster. Because of that, we decided to open up our services to you once more.”

That was a lot of information that made Akira uneasy. There were multiple Velvet Rooms? His contract needed to be renewed? There was too much information there. But the main thing was that she knew what the Metaverse was. He assumed it was because she was a resident here. An assistant like Lavenza had been.

Akira paused. Lavenza… And Igor. He looked around the limo in search for the small attendant and the long nosed man. The table that Margaret was sitting by seated no one else. There was no Lavenza or Igor to be seen.

He frowned slightly. Margaret must have caught it. She dismissively waved her hand and smiled again.

“My master is currently out attending to some business regarding another one of our guests. My little sister will be around to aid you in the future as well,” Margaret said.

“Sister…? Are you saying that Lavenza is your sister?” Akira asked. As he said it, he could see the striking resemblance between them. It was the hair and the eyes that gave it away.

Margaret nodded in response. “Yes. We are both assistants here in the Velvet Room. She and my master will return shortly.”

Akira felt as though his head was spinning. He wasn’t sure if it was because there was too much information at once, or because he felt actually felt sick. There was a sense of foreboding that he couldn’t shake.

“Wait. None of this is making sense to me. My contract needs to be renewed? Are you saying that something is going to happen?” Akira asked.

“I’m afraid that our time is up here. Do not worry, everything will be revealed to you in time. Until we meet again, Trickster.” That was the last thing that Margaret said before she and the Velvet Room started to disappear from Akira’s sight.

 

* * *

 

Akira woke to the sounds of the train announcer speaking over head. He couldn’t understand her completely, just coming out of his nap. However, he was sure she said they were approaching their destination soon.

Ann was awake by his side, looking at him with a rather concerned expression. Akira caught her staring and rubbed his eyes with his free hand. He straightened himself up in his seat and rolled his shoulders.

“Did I nap the entire way here? Sorry, I must have been more tired than I thought,” Akira said, apologizing to Ann. She shook her head, keeping her gaze on him.

“It’s alright, I figured you were tired.” She bit her lip a little and seemed to hesitate. Akira raised a brow in question.

“Did you have a bad dream or something? You were mumbling something in your sleep,” she asked, her face laced with concern.

Akira cleared his throat and took a quick glance to his other friends, who seemed more focused on their phones than anyone else.

He scrunched his brow in confusion. It did feel like he had a dream. But what was it? Akira tried to remember, nothing but feelings returned to him. Whatever it was, it left Akira with an uneasy feeling and a pit in his gut. It must have been a nightmare, and a really bad one at that.

Shaking his head, Akira gave Ann’s hand a quick squeeze and smiled her way. “I’m fine, it may have been a dream about Ryuji’s test scores.”

“Hey! I heard that!” Ryuji huffed, his gaze shooting up to glare daggers at Akira.

“So you are paying attention.” Akira said, his signature smirk appearing on his face at the response. “I couldn’t tell, you had your nose stuck in your phone.” The blond pouted in response and locked his phone, placing it away in his pocket.

A couple of minutes passed and the train began rolling to a stop. Futaba jumped up in her seat, leaning across the booth’s header and pointing to the town. “Look! There’s Inaba! Whoa… it looks so tiny compared to Tokyo.”

The rest of the group plastered themselves to the windows, each looking out n awe as the town came up. The rural town stretched out far beyond what they could see. It wasn’t as bright as Tokyo, or as busy. But the former Phantom Thieves were looking forward to that.

Akira looked to his friends and smiled, returning his gaze to the window. The Inaba Station came into view and the train slowed to a stop.

Ryuji was the first to jump out of his seat and grab his luggage. “Alright! Let the vacation begin!”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First off, I'm blown away by the response so far. Whether or not 900+ hits is something to be proud of on 2 chapters, it's still an achievement for me. I was hesitant to even start writing this, but with some encouragement from a very good friend of mine, I did. I'm glad you're enjoying it, I'm having fun writing it. Updates are just sort of whenever I get the muse for a chapter, so it might be a bit wonky.
> 
> A big thanks to my friend for proof reading this. Ilu.
> 
> In any case, enjoy!

"Ow! Dude, don't shove me!" 

"It was not me who shoved you."

"Alright slowpokes, let's move it. I need to find a outlet and figure out the wi-fi password, stat!" 

Makoto jabbed Ryuji and Yusuke in the ribs with her elbows, shooting them a dangerous look. She talked through her teeth and nodded towards the front desk. "Quiet you guys. The receptionist desk is right there, and there's still people in the lobby."

The group came through the door one by one, each taking a moment to take off their shoes. While they were all distracted, Morgana took his chance. His head popped out of Akira's bag that was on the floor, looking around the inn wide eyed. 

Haru stepped forward and headed right to the reception desk. Behind the counter was a young woman, dressed in a traditional robe. She bowed in greeting.

"Pardon us. The train arrived early, so we figured we'd check in now. I hope it isn't too early." Haru explained. The woman smiled and shook her head.

"It's no problem, we're used to hosting large parties, so we were prepared. I'm Amagi Yukiko, the assistant manager here at the inn," she said. 

Amagi was a beautiful young woman, Akira couldn't deny that. Yusuke seemed to take an interest in her as well, albeit, for the wrong reasons. He began framing her with his fingers, closing his one eye and getting just the right angle. 

"Ah - such beauty! If you do not mind, I--gah!" Another quick jab in the rib silenced Yusuke, cutting him off. Ann held a sweet smile on her face as Yusuke crumbled behind her. Akira had almost forgotten how scary the girls in his friend group could be - especially his own girlfriend. He would never dare cross them.

Makoto smiled at Amagi-san, ignoring the two behind her. "Excuse our friend, he was getting train sick on the way here," she explained. By the look on Amagi-san's face, she had bought the excuse. Akira couldn't help but smirk a bit. 

It was going to be a lively vacation.

* * *

The boys were led down the hall and into their room.

Once inside, both Ryuji and Yusuke took a moment to inspect it. Even Morgana popped out of Akira's bag, stepping out onto the floor and shaking his body. 

Akira felt bad for Morgana. As it turned out, the Amagi Inn was not pet friendly. So even on vacation, Morgana had to stay hidden from view. At least while they were in the inn. During the day while the group was out and about, Morgana join them then. At least the windows were easy to open in their room; Morgana would have easy access in and out at his leisure.  

The room itself was a mix between modern and traditional style. A small table was in the middle of the lounge room, surrounded by four push in chairs. A single pot of flowers was in the middle of the table, accompanied by a piece of paper with various information in it. From a quick glance, Akira could tell it had the inn's wi-fi password on it, the times of the hot springs bath and when dinner would be. And according to the information, they had about two hours to waste before dinner would be served.

A shelf was on the wall to the right, right next to the closet door. On top of it sat a flat screen TV and a black, landline phone. Beside it was a laminated piece of paper, which had a list of the local channels and what pay-per-view services they could access. 

Ryuji made himself at home, pulling out one of the chairs and sitting down immediately. He groaned as he cracked his knuckles behind his head. "Alright, so we have 'bout two hours before dinner is served. I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to stay in here and relax a bit." 

Across from him, Yusuke had unlocked his suitcase and promptly took out a canvas, laying it across the table. Akira raised a brow, leaning over Yusuke's shoulder and taking a peek in his luggage. To no one's surprise, it was filled with primarily art supplies. His clothes were folded underneath, and it seemed to be the bare minimum for a week long trip. He was surprised Yusuke was able to pack everything in.

"I am going to stay in the room as well. Perhaps I can get inspiration from the traditional banners here. There was a painting out in the lobby I wanted to take a look at as well." Yusuke said, picking out a brush from his bag. 

Morgana hopped onto the window sill. He sprawled out, stretching his limbs again and then laid down. His one paw dangled off to the side as he watched Ryuji and Yusuke. "Wake me up when dinner's ready. I'm going to take a quick cat-nap before then."

Akira was about to sit down at the table, but stopped when he heard his phone notifications go off. He pulled out his phone, leaning against the wall and reading the text message.

**Ann** : Hey  
 **Ann** : If you're not doing anything right now  
 **Ann** : you guys wanna come with the girls and I?  
 **Ann** : we're gonna walk around a bit and plan out the day for tomorrow  
  
He smiled at the text message, casting a glance at Ryuji and Yusuke, then began typing a reply.

**Akira** : Sure  
 **Akira** : The other three won't be joining me though, if that's alright  
 **Akira** : They're all busy  
  
There was a delayed response from Ann. Akira didn't think too much of it though.

**Ann** : Yeah sure  
 **Ann** : that's fine  
 **Ann** : I'll meet you in the lobby  
  
Akira made his way to the door, glancing back at Ryuji and Yusuke. He debated telling them that he was heading out, but the two seemed busy and lost in their own little world. Then, on second thought, it was probably best not to tell Ryuji he was just going out with the girls. 

Morgana seemed to be the only one that noticed. His blue eyes followed Akira out the door. Akira mouthed the words "be back later" to him, then stepped out of the room. 

-

Ann stood by herself in the lobby, hands linked behind her back as she stared at something on her shoe. It appeared as though something was on her mind. 

As Akira approached, Ann looked up and met his gaze. A smile formed on her face - an infectious one that spread to Akira's face as well.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Hey yourself." He took a quick glance around the lobby. The other girls were nowhere in sight. He blinked and looked back at Ann, who seemed a bit flustered. 

Her foot traced a circle on the floor as she spoke. "So. Uh. Everyone else decided that they forgot to do something, so I guess it's just us two."

There was a pause between them, and a smirk formed on Akira's face. He was no fool when it came to romance, much to everyone's surprise. He knew what the other girls were up to. And quite frankly, he didn't mind one bit.

He reached out and took Ann's hand in his, then grinned as he began leading her out of the inn. "I'm not complaining."

They walked hand in hand around the block, talking about anything and everything. Ann made little comments about the shops they passed, stopping to peek in their windows. Although most were closing down for the day, Akira made note of them in the back of his mind for tomorrow. Ann actually made notes in her phone, taking down the address of the places.

"So, we can probably spend a while in the shopping district. Oh! And I heard that the Shichiri Beach is a great tourist spot too. It takes a couple of hours to reach though, so maybe we can do that towards the end of our trip." Ann said, pocketing her phone. 

Akira nodded. "Sounds like a plan." 

She beamed at him, smiling brightly. It was moments like these that Akira treasured. He would never admit that out loud though. Whenever Ann got excited about something, she became almost childlike. Her eyes lit up, and her excitement was infectious. 

As they walked, Ann looped her arm around his and leaned into him. She sighed and rested her head on his shoulder. 

"I've missed this, you know. And I've missed you. I meant to visit you during spring break, but... things got chaotic with my modeling schedule." There was a hint of remorse in her voice. It tugged on Akira's heart.

He understood how it felt, though. Ann's modeling career had taken off after he left Tokyo. She dedicated more time to it, and began building a reputation for herself. She even got to work with a famous idol and model. But with her newfound fame, Ann hardly had free time to herself, even during the school year. Akira was thrilled to hear she'd be coming along for the trip. Even if it was a group trip, he could still spent some time with her.

Akira hummed in response. "It's okay, I understand. I'm just happy that we're able to spend a week here together," he said.

"And with everyone else," she added with a sigh. There was a hint of jealousy in there somewhere. Akira smirked though. He stopped in his tracks and gently pulled Ann to him, linking his arms behind her and clicked his tongue in thought.

"Well, you know, maybe next time we can come here by ourselves. Just you and I. How does that sound?" Akira asked.

A blush crept its way onto Ann's cheek and she playfully hit his chest. "Oh, you! How can you say things with such a straight face like that?" Despite her words, Ann was smiling.  

He bent down slightly, touching his forehead with hers, his voice dropping a bit low. "Because I mean it. I've missed you, Ann. It's great taking a trip with everyone, there's no doubt about that. But I want to spend time with just you sometime, you know?" 

Her blue eyes stared back. A warm smile appeared on her face and she giggled. "Well... how could I say no, you dork?" 

They stayed like that for a moment, and Akira kept his eyes on hers. This girl was going to be the death of him.

Ann started to close the distance between them, tilting her head slightly to the side. "You know... this is so much easier without those stupid, fake glasses of yours," she murmured. 

There was less than a inch between them.

"You know, I have to agree."

Their lips met for a split second, before something wet hit Akira's nose. Then again, and again.

Suddenly, the two pulled back and looked up to the sky. Dark, gray clouds closed in on them, and rain began falling. Akira cursed whatever rain god decided to ruin the moment, and a frown formed on his face. Damn weather.

Seeing the look on Akira's face, Ann laughed and grabbed his hand. "Come on, we should head back to the inn. It's about dinner time anyway." 

* * *

By the time dinner had ended, and the group decided on what their plan of action was for tomorrow, it was near midnight already when the boys' made it back to their rooms. Ryuji and Yusuke retired immediately to their futons. The food coma must have set in for them, because the moment their heads hit the pillow they were out. 

Morgana was settled on top of Akira's blanket, kneading the blanket on top and settling in. 

Everyone was ready to sleep, but Akira was still awake. The stormy weather outside made it a bit harder to fall asleep; it had been a while since he tried sleeping through a storm. He remembered the torrentral storms that would hit Tokyo every now and then. It was honestly a miracle he was able to sleep through those.  hit Maybe a can of iced tea would help. He didn't want to disturb the others, so he slipped out of the room and made his way to the lobby.

The inn was deathly silent, Akira noted. He walked through the lobby area to the vending machine at the end of the hall. 

With a can of tea now secured in his hand, Akira began the walk back to the room. 

A crack of thunder echoed through the air. He stopped in the lobby, looking out to the window and frowned at the sight. Hopefully by tomorrow the storm would let up.

Static crackled and a odd glow came from behind him. There was a voice in the back of his head that said don't turn around, but Akira ignored it. Out of the corner of his eye, he could tell the TV in the lobby had turned on. It felt as though he was being watched.

Odd. There was no one else around. 

There was no remote in sight, and the lobby was vacant aside from him. However, the TV stared right back at Akira. The screen flickered with static. Then, something clicked on.

An uneasy feeling washed over Akira. His chest tightened with anxiety and he swallowed. Something was pulling him towards the TV. He felt drawn to it. Or something inside.

Akira stepped closer to the TV and stared at the screen. The TV had clicked on some channel that was showing an advertisement? A girl stood with her back to the camera, and there was no mistaking it. Akira would recongize those blond pigtails anywhere. It was Ann. But... why? He remembered Ann mentioned something about doing an advertisement. But there was something... unsettling about it though. It felt wrong, completely wrong. Why did she have a microphone with her? Then, Ann turned towards the camera, and Akira felt his blood run cold.

Yellow eyes stared back at him, and a wicked grin formed on her face. Her hands gripped the microphone she held, and she took a breath. But before she spoke, the clock struck 12:01, and the TV shut itself off, leaving Akira alone with just the static on the screen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe their vacation is gonna be cut short sooner than I thought...?!


End file.
